Third Incarnation
by Chakkari
Summary: the white wolf we know and love comes back a third time, not only to save a world, but to save a heaven on the verge of collapse. contains references to other games, manga, or anime. may also contain Yuri if we're lucky.
1. and it starts again

A/N: wow. i'm one of the first ten for okami fics...awesome. So, if any of you have read my other story, or if you care that i haven't updated that one, sorry. was too busy, then i felt like writing this. but i am working on it. so, everyone, read, enjoy, review, and expect more (unless story is considered to be ball-sucking in nature).

Disclaimer: ...like i need to say it? they're not my characters. none of 'em.

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Shiranui woke up, finding herself amidst a hot, sunny day. She yawned and stretched, bringing her paws straight out in front of her as dogs do. Walking out into the town, allowing the sun to shine on her glistening fur, she waltz about, eventually running into a tall, busty woman, looking to be in her early twenties.

"Bout time you got up, lazy mutt." Rao looked down at Shiranui, fox mask pushed up to keep the sun out of her face. Strapped to her back, was the nine-tipped glaive, that Rao aptly named "Kubu." "You know if we don't get there soon, they're done for."

Shiranui tilted her head to the side and whimpered slightly, a look in her eyes that seemed to say "So negative. We'll get there in time, I know it."

Rao sighed, understanding perfectly well. "Fine, let's just get out of this city. Blight's gone; the sickness is healed, so there's no reason for us to stay, right?" Rao turned and walked away, seeming somewhat ticked at the city in general. Shiranui walked along side her, sensing instability of emotions from Rao, though slight and well-hidden. It was enough to know that Rao was not annoyed, rather that there was another issue.

Shiranui ran a little ahead to sit in front of Rao, and barked, probably meaning "You know you can tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me, OK? The others are in trouble, I'm a little tired, and I can feel all these bastards undressing me with their eyes. I just wanna go." said Rao, as she continued to walk past Shiranui. The unbalance emitting from her was even more chaotic.

Shiranui turned and made a soft howling sound, meaning something along the lines of "It's not your fault, Tsuzurao."

Rao stopped, practically frozen in her tracks at Shiranui's words (or howls, maybe?). "Yes, it is." she finally said after a long pause. "I couldn't keep it controlled...I killed the first queen, and I killed this one too...it's all my fault." Unfrozen again, she continued to walk past the gates of Sei-An City.

It has been a little over 100 years since Shiranui first came to the world, and in those 100 years, Amaterasu destroyed the ruler of darkness known as Yami, bringing the Celestial Plains to its former glory. But it was only for a short time. A few years later, a betrayal took place in the Plains, setting into motion its destruction. At the climax of this terror, the gods began to fade away from the Plains, sealing themselves back into the mortal realm for their own safety. Shiranui did the same, sealing herself and her power into her old body. This is where Rao, head priestess of Sei-an City.

Unsealing the other 12 gods was a priority of Shiranui's mission, yes, but comforting her should come first, otherwise it could be a problem later. Shiranui walked out of the all too familiar gates of Sei-an City toward the distraught Rao. This was the only way to do it, she thought. It worked out before, it'll work out again. Orochi, Yami, and now this.

Shiranui sighed, as she started to think about her former lives spent in this world. The bonds made to this world the last time were very strong, as although it had been so long since she had last been here, Shiranui had one thought when she first open her eyes in the physical world: I am the third incarnation Amaterasu Omikami, Sun goddess and savior.

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A/N: that's it, hope it was worth your time 


	2. Resurfaced

Disclaimer: um, don't own these people...

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Her sword cleaved the tube fox before her in two as several more appeared, circling her with vicious thirst for blood.

_The others are counting on me._

Her crimson markings were beginning to fade. She knew she was being drained.

_I have to do this. I have to survive._

She charged at the nearest fox.

_I have to-_ poof. Her divine instrument had disappeared, as well as her markings, just before she could slice the fox.

This is the end, she thought. She took a final look around her. The Celestial Plains had become the setting of a true holy war, a wasteland. A heaven turned into hell. Field and forest set a flame. Where there had once been lush green, there was only fire, and where there wasn't fire, there was nothing more than ash. This was the end.

"Already finished, are we, Ma Cherie?" the circle of foxes parted and a young man with golden hair stepped forth. He had an unusual style of clothing, a bright pink shirt with red buttons that looked fluffy. At one side of his hip was a katana, and the other a flute, that Shiranui was already familiar with. Already forgetting her powerless state, Shiranui growled fiercely at the man, spreading her front paws and lower her body, ready to pounce.

"So you still have fight left in you, pup. But what have I done to earn such wrath?"

"You know exactly what you did, Traitor!" she barked as she charged forward, bearing teeth and all. The man drew his sword and threw it at Shiranui, point first, spiraling like a bullet. Shiranui moved left, dodging the blade, and began a zigzag track toward the traitor.

"You're quite serious, aren't you, ma Cherie? fine." he drew his flute to his face, but did not blow. Instead, he slid his had across it, creating a blade that glowed an eerie green. By the time the blade appeared, Shiranui was right in front of him, almost close enough for him to strike, before she disappeared from his sight. It was a convincing act, but he had known her too long to be caught off-guard by such a trick. He spun around, and pointed his sword downward, finding Shiranui at the end of it.

"Like a tiger stalking his prey, no? Your technique needs work, ma Cherie."

Shiranui growled, but she knew it was pointless. The growls of the weak are merely unnecessary noises. There was no power behind it, nothing to back it up.

"**Stand down, Ushiwaka.**" the booming voice came from behind Shiranui, one that she thought she wouldn't have to her again.

A large shadow cast over Shiranui, turning around, she found herself nose to nose with the nine-tailed fox, self-proclaimed dark lord of Ryoshima coast.

"**Bullying my host, bitch? Have you no shame, worthless dog?**" the fox raised one paw into the air and swiftly swing it at Shiranui, launching her into the air and finally landing yards away. Shiranui struggled to get up, tired from having fought so long, knowing that the Plains were doomed from the start.

"Shall we be going, Mademoiselle?"

"**Heh, sure, just one last pest to take care of.**"

The fox, hidden behind a mask of white, begin a slow walk toward Shiranui, each step cause a small tremor. Shiranui laid still, beaten and exhausted, finally recognizing her end. The nine-tails stood before her, grinning from ear to ear behind the mask.

"**This is goodbye, worthless bitch.**" the fox turned its head and grabbed the nine tipped sword in its mouth, lifting it high into the air.

"_This is it, I'm dead._" Shiranui thought, shutting her eyes tight as the fox swung the sword down onto her neck.

"I said wake up!" Shiranui opened her eyes only to see Rao shaking her vigorously. "Come on, you mutt, wake-...oh, sorry." Rao quickly withdrew her hands.

"What is it now?" Shiranui growled, discontent with being woken up in such a manner.

"We need to leave soon. You OK?"

Shiranui rolled onto her stomach and rest her head on the back of her paw, tail tucked against her, as dogs tend to do, almost looking sorry for herself.

It had been a few days since they had left Sei-An City. Progress made? Zero. All the rumors they followed over the past few days were just that. The situation looked bleak, Rao thought, just as it did less than a week before. What's worse, Shiranui started having nightmares, and it was always the same. A memory of what her final moments was supposed to look like.

"...was it that dream again?" Rao asked after a brief silence. Shiranui only stared at the ground silently in response. A silence fell over them again until Shiranui stood up.

"Let's go already." she growled as she began leave. Rao stood up as well and followed, feeling uneasy about Shiranui's mood. She placed her hand on Shiranui head and scratched behind her ears. The wolf responded with nothing but a wag of her tail, but it was enough. Rao smiled softly at Shiranui as they walked to the port.

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A/N: sorry for the wait, hope its worth you time 


	3. Beginning of the beginning of the end

A/N: last chapter. sorry about the lie in the summary, it's only shojo-ai. but for those of you who can't tell the difference, here it is. R&R plz. . 

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Rao walked to the port and sat at the edge, letting her legs hang over the side. Resting her head in her hands, she closed her eyes, trying to shut out the memory she wished she could forget forever. It all happened too fast. No, she had a feeling; she could feel the fox's bloodlust boiling within her just as they entered the room. Before she knew what she was doing, the mask was placed and her sword was drawn. By the time she regained control, all that was left in the room was the bloody and dismembered body of the late Queen Satomi lying dead before her.

She didn't think it could happen again. Then again, all the pieces were set in place, just as before. A largely empty throne room. The queen, enclosed for her own safety. And finally, betrayal by her closest associate. The only difference between what happened to Himiko years earlier and Fuse Satomi less than a week ago was Rao. For some reason, she felt that her heart had been ripped out and left beating in front of her. She remembered the tears streaming down her face afterwards, the first time she felt such a heart-wrenching pain. As she opened her eyes again, she sees that she is no longer sitting at the dock, but standing in a deep darkness, surrounded by black on all sides.

"**Are you unhappy with your work, Tsuzurao?**" A booming voice from behind her, the same one that haunted her dreams at night. She turned to stare into the eyes of the large white nine tailed fox, its nose barely inches from her face. She started to open her mouth to speak, but couldn't. It was the same every time. The fox's presence stole everything from her, her voice, her movement, even the lives of those that she loved so dearly.

"**What could you have to say this time? Do you dare utter more defiance?**"

"I...I-I didn't kill Queen Satomi..." Rao muttered quietly.

"**Speak louder, puppet slave!**"

"I said I didn't kill her! You did!!"

"**We both know that's not true, Tsuzurao.**"

"...shut up..."

"**Who led her to the sealed room for her own 'safety'?**"

"I said shut up!"

"**Besides, you've known since this all began the first time that you only exist as a shell. I am you. Everything I do, you do as well.**"

"No, I'm me! You're just a stupid fox!!" Rao felt a hand close on her neck. The grip became tighter and tighter, choking she as she kicked her legs, no longer feeling anything solid underneath her.

"**Insolent wench. Did you forget what you did to me? How ashamed I am, to let you live through that horror?"**

Rao thought back to the moment this bout between her and the fox began, back to the flame-ridden Celestial plains, the soon-after torched wasteland that she and Shiranui fled from.

Shiranui was downed, tired from fighting wave after wave of invading tube fox, lying under the enigmatic white fox. The fox, with a quick sweep brought the Kubu off its back straight up to the sky. Rao watched all this from hiding, afraid to do anything. She was near paralyzed with fear, but as the fox swung down, something compelled her to move. Before she realized it, she was standing over Shiranui, between her and the fox, and the Kubu was embedded into her right shoulder. Her last idea no her last option at this point was to seal the fox. She took out five pray slips and flung them into the air. The slips formed a pentagram between her and the fox, and with a flash of light the fox's shape began to swirl and warp into the Kubu and from there seep into Rao's already draining blood. Rao fell to her knees, with a smile of hollow and bitter victory, her eyes slowly close until she finally collapsed on the ground.

Back in the now, Rao could barely breathe at this point, and suddenly was dropped to the ground, coughing. "I-I was supposed to die there, with you in me... instead you made me bring you here."

"**That was your punishment. You would've just sacrificed yourself like the first time I took your precious little body. And we know how well that went.**"

"Why the hell did you come back, anyway?!"

"**Heh, why? This is my turf. It wasn't for Yami; it wasn't for the humans who infest it. Ryoshima belongs to me. You understand that don't you? That's why I need your body again...**" The fox took a step to her, a murderous intent glowing in his eyes. Rao tried to get up to leave but the fox smothered her with its paw just enough to keep her down despite her struggling.

"S-Stop! I'm not doing this again!" Rao screamed, in futile protest. The Kubu appeared on the fox's back again and with out missing a beat, he picked it up in his mouth, and swung straight down at Rao. She winced and turned away, waiting for the final sting of death from the fox sword.

But after a few moments of feeling nothing, she opened her eyes. Before her, between her and the fox was what Rao could only call a back of a goddess, glowing and radiant, pure white hair tied in a low ponytail, clad in a red and white kimono dyed with crimson marking, holding the Kubu in mid-swing.

"W-wha..."

"_I couldn't let you die here. Not like this._" the glowing woman turned her head to smile at Rao. Her face shone with a purity that was rare in anyone, and a smile that could revitalize an army to fight for nothing but to protect that smile.

**"You annoying little bitch! How dare you interfere!"**

"_Silence, Demon!_" the maiden commanded. She placed her hand on his nose and gave a small thrust. The fox moved back and howled as he began to break apart and blow away, turning in to cherry blossom petals. The darkness around them cracked and blew away as well, revealing to them Sakuya's cherry blossom tree, towering over them in full bloom. The goddess sighed with relief, and turned to Rao, still lying on the ground, in somewhat of a shock of what she just saw.

"w-who...?" Rao asked, confused and puzzled. The goddess smiled and got down over Rao on all fours.

"_Shhh,_" the goddess said, softly placing a finger on Rao's lips. Rao's face turned a bright red all of a sudden. "_It's all right. I won't let you get hurt._" the goddess moved her hand, placed it behind Rao's head and kissed her deeply. Rao, surprised and shocked at first, melted into the kiss, feeling the maiden's tongue massage her own, her hand rubbing on her breast, and closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around the goddess, and welcomed the kiss, until she could no longer feel it.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself back at the port, a ship sailing closer under a clear blue sky and thru clear water. Rao looked down and just now felt Shiranui's snout on her thigh. As Rao instinctively reached out to pet her, the image of the goddess flashed thru her mind.

"...s-Shiranui, was...w-was that...?"

Shiranui batted an eye at her and wagged her tail, as if to say 'I won't let you get hurt', then turned her head and watch the boat sail closer and closer to the port.

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A/N: ok, hoped you like it.

(p.s.: what does " . " mean?)


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